Good evening! Currently mostly sunny and 63 degrees at Mason Lake. There is a south breeze at 7 MPH with occasional gusts. The dew point is a humid 56. Definitely been a weird day weather wise.

This morning was only about 46 degrees when I woke up. Light rain started to come down, and a i scrambled to get the tarp up. Before the rain started the temperature rose to 52 then dropped back to 48 degrees after the front came through. The temperature remained constant as we had about two hours of extremely heavy rain, but I was fine under the tarp, sitting next to the heater. It would have been hypothermia conditions in the woods without my comfortable hoodie and the heater, I am glad I packed it. Got through a lot of William Kennedy’s O Albany. I forgot what a truly great read it is, especially if you’re interested in politics.

Went fishing and out paddling on Mason Lake. Nice to be out on that lake, I haven’t paddled it since 2011. Pretty little lake, not far from NY 30, so there is some road noise. I was up here last November after Thanksgiving but I didn’t bring my kayak as it was virtually winter. Caught a decent size small mouth but I had to toss it back as its a week too early, and I didn’t want to have to bother cleaning it.

By the time I got out of the lake, it had warmed up quite a bit.
It’s now 63 degrees under clear skies and pretty decent. It took a while to get the wet wood roaring in the campfire but now it’s super hot. And it doesn’t need to be so hot. The heater is ready to be switched on, but I don’t envision using it before morning, if at all. Earlier today was a much different story. At least it didn’t snow and despite the heavy rain, we didn’t have any thunderstorms or severe weather.

Generally a seasonable night in the Adirondacks with clearing skies. We will have a slight chance of showers after midnight. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 52. West wind around 11 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%. The normal low for tonight in Albany is 56, so it will be about normal for this time of year. The record low of 38 occured back in 1972.

Tonight we have a First Quarter Moon with 50% illuminated. It’s quite pretty tonight and right around the half way point for sure. The moon will set around 1:52 am. June’s Strawberry Moon is a week from Monday on the first day of summer.

Tomorrow will be cool and cloudy. Good fishing weather. I plan to hit up the Jessup River in the morning. Just bridge fishing, no kayaking with the expected wind. If I snag trout, they’ll put in the cooler and be coming home with me. We will have a chance of showers, mainly after 1pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 54. Northwest wind 16 to 18 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. The normal high for Sunday is 77 in Albany, so it will be quite cool for this time of year. The record high in Albany of 94 happened back in 1949.

Honestly, I wanted to explore Lewey Lake and the Miami River or possibly the Jessup River. The weather didn’t cooperate. Well there still is a lot of summer left. With the forecast, this weather could have gone either way. Still I was prepared and made the most of it.

I’m going to read more O Albany before bed, then retire for the night. Sleep well.

Good afternoon! Currently light rain and 53 degrees at Mason Lake. There is a southwest breeze at 9 mph.

We will have light showers and thunderstorms this afternoon. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 63. Southwest wind around 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%. The normal high for this afternoon is 77, so it will be about normal for this time of year. The record high of 94 happened back in 1949.

Tonight the sun will set at 8:38 pm with dusk around 9:14 pm, which is 32 seconds later than yesterday in Speculator. Tonight we have a First Quarter Moon with 50% illuminated. Not sure how much of that will be visible with the clouds and rain
The moon will rise around 11:22 am and will set around 1:52 am. June’s Strawberry Moon is on Monday, June 20th.

Near constant temperatures and continued dampness tonight. We will have a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 52. West wind 11 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 26 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%. The normal low for tonight is 56, so it will be about normal for this time of year. The record low in Albany of 38 occured back in 1972.

In four weeks on July 9 the sun will be setting at 8:39 pm, which is the same time then tonight. The average high is 82 degrees, and the record for that date is 103 degrees was set back in 1936.

I was surprised to run into Ranger John Ploss who lives in that off grid cabin in Pisceo and is most often seen at Pisceo Powley Road. I guess Forest Rangers cover a big territory. The truck he was driving had big rust holes and the bed was falling off it, as is the case with many of those old F250s. Somehow I suspect they won’t be reselling that truck after retirement.

Shore fishing at Mason Lake. Thinking about getting the kayak out, but I don’t want to get soaked on the lake. But this shore fishing so far sucks. We will see. It’s pretty cold sitting out in the rain.

47 degrees this morning at Perkins Clearing. I knew rain from thunderstorms was a possibility this afternoon but really wasn’t expecting it in the morning — especially not pouring rain. But I got the tarp up this morning before the sky opened up, with good drainage and I have the heater on low below my chair so I’m comfortable. If it clears out this afternoon, I’ll head over to Mason Lake and do some fishing from the kayak there. I may end up driving to Speculator this afternoon to buy some firewood if everything continues to get soaked in the woods. I have some dry wood but not a lot.

Started to read William Kennedy’s O Albany. I’m sure I’ve read it years ago, but it’s good to refresh one’s memory. No black flies with the cold wet weather  so that’s nice. The campsite I’m at is steeply sloped so it should drain well.

State game warden drove by last night but didn’t stop by. I know they’re busy and usually don’t stop by except during hunting season – the few times they are scene in the woods at all. They patrol enormous areas, when they’re not stuck in the office doing paperwork. I was hoping to learn more about the Jessup River and maybe some good fishing spots from him. Still they tend to be quite knowledge about the land as many spend years in a specific area.

Last night was nice but cool. Lots of stars and the moon for a while. But chilly. Temperatures dropped to the mid 40s by 11 o’clock. Had a decent fire although burning the existing wood at the campsite was difficult because some of it was still fairly green. I was tired from a long week at work, so I retired to bed a half hour before midnight.